Demon of the Lamp
by Vicious-Loner
Summary: Naruto is a treasure hunter and comes across a very special item... SemiAU, inspired by Aladdin.


I finally got around typing this thing up, it's been lying in my note book for several months now. Um… as the title hints it's inspired by Aladdin. I bought Kingdom Hearts: Chains of Memories and got inspired by the Agrabah part, I just love the Genie… I've bee thinking about whether this should be a one-shot or butchered up in tiny pieces, I originally wrote it in 10 parts, but I figured after typing it that each part would be too small to be a chapter of it's own.

**Warning:** Nothing really, just a few sentences that could be hinting at GaaNaru, but you have to squint rather badly to see it. Squint too much and you won't see anything at all!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto in any way, shape or form.

* * *

**Demon of the Lamp**

"_Demonic human_

_I sentence you_

_To fulfil the wishes_

Of those fellow humans 

_You hate so deeply._

_Execute."_

And so the demon-genie was born.

Uzumaki Naruto was a fearless adventurer hunting for treasure. The rarer the better and he had caught rumors of an extremely rare treasure – a lamp containing a genie. He had heard of a few different rumors before n different corners of the world but each time someone else had beaten him and fetched the lamp before him. But this time was going to be different, this time he was going to be the first one there. It was even likely as the rumors still was quite fresh. Naruto returned to the room at the inn to think over what the old farmer had told him. A big cave in the mountains guarded by a huge monster… It sounded like a giant dog by the description he had been given and he had no real clue as to how he possibly could defeat or at least get past it. First he would search the mountains for the cave in question and maybe watch he monster and see if he could find a way to beat it. He packed his backpack as he would leave at sunrise. Now the real adventure would begin.

Finally, after three days of intensive searching Naruto found the cave he had been looking for and sure enough, there laid the big dog monster in the cave's mouth. It seemed to be asleep but it could as well be faked. The blond fox-boy moved around to get a better look at the monster and stepped on a loose rock. Naruto jumped back when the rock slid away and it tumbled down towards the bottom of the valley. He froze as the dog's head perked up at the noise and looked around. Naruto's chin almost hit the ground as another head perked up behind the first. And soon after a third head behind the second. Three heads. The cave was guarded by a three-headed dog. With a mane of snakes. The tangled dark mane, he realized as it began to move, was a mass of snakes, probably poisonous ones. Naruto sighed as he sat down behind a rock. How the hell would he get past that beast? He sighed again as he heard the dog's three heads snivel, drool, sniff, growl and bark behind him.

The fearless adventurer Uzumaki Naruto looked around in the dark cave. The torch in his hand didn't cast very much light around him but enough for him to make his way safely. The three-headed laid behind him, asleep. Naruto smirked. It had been easy to drug the beast with modified cookies, almost too easy. He now slowly walked further inside the cave, alert and on the watch for traps and other dangers. He came around a bend and found himself looking into a complete darkness. The dim light of his torch showed him some rapidly descending steps of a stairway. He climbed down the steep almost ladder-like stairs into complete darkness. He reached the bottom without any incidents and looked around. He noticed an unlit torch on the wall to his right and went over to light it. As soon as the torch was lit sparks was seen around the cave and other torches was lit magically around the walls of the big cave and along a path straight forward. He had reached the place where the lamp resided.

Naruto blinked at the sudden sunlight. The three-headed dog was nowhere to be seen. He sat down and took a closer look at the magical lamp. It looked exactly like how you expect magical lamps containing wish-granting genies to look like – shiny and beautiful, not too big yet it catches your eye. He let his fingers slide over the smooth surface of the lamp and suddenly red smoke streamed from its pipe. It shaped a being unlike anything Naruto had ever seen before. It had messy dark red hair, black surrounded its cold green eyes and it had a red kanji tattoo on its left forehead. It was dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt with a white sash over its right shoulder and around its waist. Underneath its waist was the classic spirit "tail" and it was red. Basically NOT what you expect a genie to look like, rather an evil genie or spirit. Naruto stared at it for a while and the genie stared back at him with its cold green eyes. The genie spoke first.

"Well met, human. I'm the genie of this lamp and I'll grant you three wishes"

Naruto stared for a few more moments.

"So you are a real genie then?" he asked. The genie sighed.

"Yes" it simply answered.

"Well, you certainly doesn't look like one" Naruto said. The genie looked slightly surprised by this statement but regained composure within seconds.

"There's a reason as to why I look this way" it responded coolly.

"What reason?" Naruto asked curiously. The genie sighed.

"Why would you want to know? Do you care about my dark past?" is asked suspiciously. Naruto blinked a couple of times and thought about it.

"I don't really care but you've gotten me curious" he answered truthfully. The black and red genie sighed again.

"Okay then, I'll tell you the reason why I became a wish-granting genie. But you may not like what you hear" it warned.

"Maybe not but I'm still curious" Naruto said, not allowing the genie's seriousness to dampen his bright mood.

"Very well then. You'd better seat yourself comfortably 'cause this might take a little while…"

"Before I was born I was targeted by a wicked experiment. The experiment left me as a vessel for a demon, a demon I still carry within me. However, I grew up hated and feared by everyone because of the demon within me and even those few I thought loved me betrayed me and tried to kill me as my demon powers began to go out of hand. That's when I got this kanji tattoo that reads 'love' and swore to love only myself. Everybody hated me and I started to hate everybody in return. I was only six years old. The first time I killed someone was an accident, he tried to kill me, but later I began to kill out of hatred and pure blood-lust. The demon within me craved for blood and death and its feelings became mine. Countless people tried to assassinate me but I killed them instead. I killed some innocents just because I wanted to, I needed to spill blood to calm the demon within. For my crimes the gods punished me by transforming me into a genie and make me grant the wishes of those humans I hate so deeply. I still hate humans but nowadays for another reason. You humans are just so very selfish. You always seems to be thinking of nobody but yourselves. But I really shouldn't say anything because I was even worse when I still was a human. Hm, it's almost amusing to see how much a thousand years of wish-granting can change your perspective on things… I've come to hate what I was personifying and yet I don't know if I can stop it if I'll ever be able to ditch this lamp and become human again. Honestly, I got no real clue as to what I would do if I ever got free. I don't know what I would become…"

Naruto sat quiet for a good while after the genie had finished its tale. He looked up only to meet those cold green eyes, the genie's expression indifferent. "You said 'If I ever got free'. What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked. "I mean what I said" the genie answered. "Well… eh… I mean… for how long will you be a genie?" he asked a bit flustered. "Forever unless someone frees me" came the cold reply. "And how could you be freed?" "If someone is selfless enough to waste a wish on freeing my dark and bloodstained being from my eternal punishment" the genie answered with a hint of sadness in its voice. Naruto just looked at it for a while, thinking. "I could do that" he finally said.

The genie's eyes widened in shock for a second before they returned to their usual sold state. "Why would you do that" it asked. Naruto blinked, he certainly wasn't prepared for that question. "Well… eh… I don't know.

I guess… because I want to" he said, shrugging. The genie just looked at him. "You should waste your wishes on something you want, I can give you anything – fame, wealth, love, power… absolutely anything! Think of what you really want and you can have it" it said. Naruto thought about it. "But I still want to free you" he said. The genie sighed. "If that's what you really wants then I have nothing to say. But I'd advise you to use your other two wishes first as I no longer will be a wish-granting genie when you've freed me" it said. Naruto thought about it for a good while.

"Okay, here goes" Naruto said, catching the dozing genie's attention. It nodded, ready to grant him any wish he could have in store. "I wish I could discover someone that truly love me for who I am without you having to interfere" Naruto said, looking the genie straight in the eye. "Could you precise yourself?" it asked. "I want to discover someone that loves me without you trixing with his or hers feelings" he explained. The genie was quiet for a few moments. "Okay" it said slowly. "Your wish has been granted." Naruto took a deep breath before airing his second wish. "I wish people could accept me for who I am" he said sadly. The genie's cold gaze softened and it nodded. The wish had been granted. They were quiet for a while before Naruto spoke up again. "I came to think of something… before I free you, Id like to know your name" he said. The genie looked at him for a while, thinking. "Gaara" it finally said. "As human I was known as Sabaku no Gaara." "Uzumaki Naruto" Naruto nodded. They looked at each other for a while. Yet again Naruto spoke. "I wish for Gaara's freedom" he said without hesitation.

The red and black genie disappeared in a huge cloud of red smoke. When the smoke subsided and cleared it revealed a young man in Naruto's age. He looked almost exactly like in his genie form but more… human. And handsome. Definitely more handsome as there had laid something timeless over his face when he was a genie, Naruto realized. Gaara looked down at himself and moved his toes. "Thanks" he mumbled. "No problem" Naruto grinned. Gaara looked up at him and managed a tiny smile, barely noticeable. "After a thousand years I was finally able to ditch that lamp forever and have a second chance as human. Even if I still have a demon within me…" he said. Naruto just smiled. "I understand that better than most people because… I too have a demon sealed inside of me. I received it when I was newly born" he said a bit sadly. Gaara looked at Naruto with a new understanding in his eyes. They were so much alike yet so different… "So, what do you plan on doing now that you've freed me?" Gaara asked. "Oh, I don't know" Naruto answered carefreely. "Maybe go home for a while…" he trailed off. "May I join you?" Gaara asked. "Of course you can come with me, I'd love your company" Naruto grinned and they set off towards a place to call home and people to call friends. The demonic human had been given a second chance and this time he would make things right, he had Naruto to help him. This time he had someone who understood him, cared about him and liked him for who he was. And he had someone to care about. Gaara smiled. Yes, this time he would do everything right. This time he would be happy.

* * *

For those that knows a bit about mythological creatures – yes, it was Kerberos/Cerberus (or however you want to spell it) that guarded the cave. That beast is one of my favourites, though I first planned on having the cave underwater, but it didn't work out so I changed it to this. 

Regardless of whether you liked it or not, please press the little purple button below and leave a comment.


End file.
